The Power of Love
by Ronnie and The Professor
Summary: Prism is back, and this time he's learned that love can be just as powerful as hate. While fighting him, Barry gets hurt, allowing Prism to use his powers which, force combined with pain, leaves Barry unconscious. Cisco goes to get him and discovers first-hand that Barry's been love-struck when he becomes the person of Barry's affections.
1. You don't need money, don't take fame

"On your left, Barry, watch out!" Cisco shouted into the comms system. The truck Prism was driving flew past and missed Barry by a few feet.

The truck skidded to a halt. Prism stepped out, smirking. Barry stood a ways away, catching his breath.

"Get any civilians out of there! Now!" Caitlin urged. "And don't let him make eye contact with you."

"Right." Barry said, clearing the area of any bystanders. Last time Prism was free, he manipulated anyone he could, and the less people there were, the safer it would be for everyone.

Prism laughed. "I don't need them this time, Flash. I've gotten stronger. I've learned from my mistakes."

He pulled out a handgun that was concealed within his jacket and began firing. Barry zipped around avoiding the bullets.

"And you know what?" Prism said, reloading a new clip before Barry could catch his breath. "Hatred isn't the strongest emotion."

Barry ran at him, hoping to get him while he was distracted. Prism started shooting again, but this time, he hit Barry.

Barry grunted and went down, his momentum dragging him across the asphalt. Prism smiled to himself and walked calmly to where Barry had landed.

Cisco was already out the door, running to the lab's garage. "Barry! I'm coming to get you!" He shouted into his portable communicator. He could hear Caitlin through the device, trying to coach Barry through his pain to keep him awake.

Prism stopped and knelt next to Barry. He grabbed Barry's face and forced him to look into his eyes.

"The _strongest_ emotion..." his eyes flashed purple, imprinting onto Barry's, "...is love. People will do anything for love. And this time, you won't be able to cure yourself so easily."

Barry shut his eyes like he'd been stung, the force of Prism's powers causing him to lose consciousness. Prism stood up.

"It won't kill you, Flash, but at least you'll be preoccupied." Prism walked back to his truck and drove away with the goods he had stolen earlier, leaving Barry on the ground.

Cisco pulled up moments later. He ran over to where Barry lay. "Caitlin, he's not moving, what are his vitals?"

"Still alive, just unconscious. He was hit in the leg, check that first, then try to wake him up." She replied.

Cisco quickly found where Barry had been hit. After assessing the injury to the best of his knowledge, he took off his hoodie and used it to staunch the bleeding.

"It hit his right thigh, but I think it only went through the flesh, no bone." Cisco reported. He crawled over to Barry's head and pulled it into his lap. Cisco checked to make sure the area was clear of people, then peeled back the mask and patted his cheeks lightly. "Barry. Barry, wake up."

Barry groaned and slowly blinked his eyes open. Cisco let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Cisco?" Barry's expression shifted from confused to something Cisco couldn't quite identify. He propped himself up on one elbow.

"Oh, man! I was so worried! Are you oka-" Cisco was cut off by by Barry's lips on his. His brain shut down. He could barely process what was going on as Barry wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

Cisco was frozen in shock, eyes wide. His hands grabbed at the air around him, more or less flailing, unsure of what to do.

Finally, it clicked: Barry was kissing him. Cisco pushed Barry off of himself, severing their contact. Cisco stared at Barry, mouth hanging open.

"W- wh- you- I- what? What the- why did you just... kiss me?" Cisco could barely get the words out. Barry looked at Cisco through half-lidded eyes and smiled like he was in a dream.

"Because I love you."

Cisco felt like he'd just been falcon-punched in the gut. "You... what?! No. No, no, no, no. Ain't nobody got time for that shit. Caitlin," he spoke into the communicator, "tell me this is a side effect of blood loss. Please."

"Um," she laughed, "Sorry, but I don't think it is. But you do need to hurry and get him here so I can take that bullet out. Remember: he heals fast, not right."

"Right, got it." He put the device in his pocket and stood up. He held his hand out. "Come on, Barry."

Barry grabbed it and pulled himself up, putting his weight on his good leg. He leaned on Cisco, putting one arm around his shoulders while Cisco wrapped his around Barry's waist to support him.

"Mm, Cisco, you're so strong." Barry whispered in his ear as Cisco helped him to the van.

Cisco felt his face heat up. The sooner they got back to the lab, the better.

After they were both in, Cisco drove back to the lab. He found it difficult to focus on driving with Barry staring at him the entire time, a dopey smile on his face.

Once at the lab, Caitlin removed the bullet from Barry's thigh and stitched the already rapidly healing wound. Barry insisted on holding Cisco's hand throughout the ordeal.

Cisco pulled Caitlin off to the side. He needed to talk to her about Barry's unusual behavior.

"Do you know why he's acting like Cupid shot him in the ass?" Cisco whispered. "If it's some prank you guys are pulling, it's not funny."

"I think he got whammied by Prism." Caitlin said, glancing over at Barry who sat in the cortex.

"But, last time Prism used anger to mess with Barry..."

"You didn't hear because you were driving to get him, but Prism said that he'd gotten stronger, and that he had learned that hatred wasn't as strong as love."

"So, he's like this because Prism started listening to the Beatles? Great." Cisco rolled his eyes. "But we can fix him, right? Just use the same process as last time."

"Well," Caitlin hesitated, "theoretically, yes."

"But...?" Cisco could see the doubt on her face.

"But Prism also said that we wouldn't be able to cure him the same way as before."

Cisco put his hands on his head and stepped back. Different scenarios whirled through his mind. What if they never fixed Barry? What if this was permanent?

"What do I do in the meantime, then?" Cisco asked. "Just go along with it?"

Caitlin shrugged. "There's not much else you can do."

"But-" Cisco stopped himself as Barry hobbled over to them. His wound looked mostly healed, but he still limped.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Barry asked as he casually slipped his arm around Cisco's waist. Cisco pulled away, embarrassed.

"We were talking about you, actually." Caitlin said, speaking like she was talking to a third grader. "You got whammied by Prism. Do you remember?"

Barry nodded. "Kind of. It's all kinda fuzzy. Only thing that's really clear is Cisco."

"Me?" Cisco asked, though he already knew what Barry meant by it.

"Mm-hmm." Barry stepped towards him. He gently placed his hands on Cisco's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You. How much I love you."

Barry leaned in for a kiss, but Cisco stopped him.

"Barry, Prism did this to you. You don't actually love me. Everything you're feeling right now, it's all fake."

Barry frowned. "But... no. It's real. It is."

"It isn't." Cisco said more firmly.

"It is."

"Isn't."

"It _is_." Barry insisted, ending their banter. "I'll prove it. When we find the cure, I'll still love you."

Cisco sighed, exasperated. "Fine. Let's just start trying to find it. Caitlin, I'm going to try making something that amplifies the effects of the color treatment."

"Alright, I'll take some more tests, look for irregularities. Barry, come with me."

Barry reluctantly followed her while Cisco found the device they had used before and took it to his work space. Cisco brushed his hair behind his ears and set to work.

As he tinkered with the machine, he could overhear Caitlin chatting with Barry, some questions professional, others not so much. Barry was essentially telling her why he loved Cisco so much, while she egged him along, amused.

Cisco sighed. It could be worse. At least Barry was attractive, and nice, and caring. Cisco just couldn't stand to see his friend manipulated like that, especially when he knew that Barry would never even consider thinking of Cisco in a romantic way normally.

Cisco felt someone rubbing his shoulders. He didn't need to look back to know who it was. He relaxed into Barry's touch and closed his eyes.

No. This wasn't right. He didn't like Barry like that, and Barry didn't like him like that. He shrugged Barry's hands away and turned around.

"Did Caitlin finish the tests?" Cisco asked. Barry nodded.

"For now. She has to analyze them, and, depending on the results, I might have to do some more." Barry leaned on the edge of Cisco's desk. "How's your end going?"

Cisco looked at the disassembled mess in front of himself and shrugged. "I need to reconfigure the hard drive and put it all back together, then use a little faith, trust, and pixie dust to make it stronger."

"Do you-" Barry was interrupted by an alarm. Cisco ran over to the monitor and checked the system.

"Central City Bank is being robbed." He reported. "It looks like they're just two regular people. Are you okay to take care of it?" Cisco gestured to Barry's leg.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Barry was already suited up.

"Alright, it's on twenty-third and Scarlet. Y'know, just in case you _don't_ know where your own bank is. Don't ask how I know that."

Barry smiled and stopped in front of Cisco and pulled him into a kiss. It was so short that Cisco didn't even have time to react.

"For luck." Barry murmured against his lips. Then he was gone, off to save the day, leaving Cisco breathless.

Barry had the situation under control. He quickly stopped the robbers and returned the money. He didn't even need help from Cisco and Caitlin, leaving them to continue working on a cure for Barry's affliction. However, after the robbery, he had to make an appearance as Barry Allen at the police department to check in on a new case, keeping him out of S.T.A.R. Labs for the next few hours.

By the time Cisco had finished putting the device back together with its added strength, it was nearly four in the morning. Caitlin had fallen asleep at her desk a few hours prior, and Cisco was ready to do the same.

Cisco got up and stretched, then went to go sit in the hallway. He leaned against the wall and pulled his knees to his chest. Exhaustion made his eyelids heavy, and soon, he fell asleep.


	2. It's strong & sudden & cruel sometimes

Cisco woke covered in a blanket with his head resting on Barry's lap. Barry was asleep, leaning against the wall where Cisco had been the night before.

Cisco carefully got up, so as to not wake Barry. He covered Barry with the blanket he'd been using.

Barry's face was so peaceful when he slept, Cisco thought as he glanced over, like a dozing angel. He tiptoed back into the cortex to check on Caitlin.

She was already awake, running data through her computer. She glanced at him as he entered.

"I have good news and bad news." She said, swiveling in her chair to face him. "Which do you want to hear first?"

"Bad news." Cisco leaned against the wall.

"Well, from what I can tell, the only thing we can really do is let this thing run its course."

"And the good news?" Cisco rubbed his eyes.

"It will probably only take about two more days." She smiled, trying to be positive.

"Great." Cisco muttered. "Does that mean the thing I worked on last night is useless?"

"Pretty much. But we can still try it?" Caitlin offered, shrugging.

Cisco sighed. "Couldn't hurt. But, if it doesn't work, what am I supposed to do with him for three days?"

"I don't know, he's your boyfriend." She joked. Cisco glared at her.

"Hardy har har. He's not my boyfriend." Cisco walked to his desk, double-checking the device for errors.

Barry walked into the room carrying the now-folded blanket. He beamed at Cisco and crossed the room to join him.

"Did you finish it?" Barry asked, pointing at the machine. Cisco nodded.

"Yup. All ready to take on the world's largest disco."

"Wow, all that in one night?" Barry remarked, obviously impressed. "Are we going to try it today?"

"Yeah, but I think we could all use an hour or two to go home and freshen up." Caitlin nodded in agreement, using her fingers to brush her hair.

"Alright," Barry said, "I'll miss you every second we're apart." He kissed Cisco's cheek and grinned. Then he sped out of the room.

"I swear," Cisco said, as much to Caitlin as it was to himself, "sometimes I think that guy came straight out of a Nicholas Sparks novel."

After freshening up, they all reconvened at the lab. Cisco brought out the machine. He turned off all the lights in the cortex for optimal potency.

"Ready, Barry?" Cisco asked, finger on the switch.

"Yep." Came the reply. Cisco flipped the switch, turning the machine on.

Lights spilled everywhere, flashing in semi-random sequences. Orange and purple intermingled while blue flickered into green. All the colors of the rainbow were present, dancing in front of their eyes in waves and beams. It only lasted about twenty seconds.

Cisco turned the lights back on, blinking in the sudden brightness. He looked at Barry hopefully.

"Did it work? How do you feel?" Cisco asked.

"Like I just went to a rave and did seven different kinds of drugs." Barry said still blinking away the afterimages.

"But, did it work?"

Barry stood up and stepped in front of Cisco. "Let's find out."

He bent down and kissed Cisco, cupping one side of his face and moving their lips together. Cisco didn't pull away this time, for science, he reasoned with himself.

Caitlin cleared her throat, reminding them both that she was still there. Barry pulled away with one final peck on the lips.

"I don't think it worked." Barry said.

Cisco licked his lips and shook his head. "No. But that was one hell of a light show you gotta admit. We're totally saving that for the next party we go to.

"Because we go to so many parties." Caitlin said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and walked away.

"Hey, you never know!" Cisco called after her. Barry smiled to himself.

Cisco put the machine away. Well, that idea couldn't have been more ineffective than if he'd tied glow sticks to his hands and waved them in figure-eights around Barry's head. There wasn't really anything more they could do that day besides wait. Cisco figured they might as well keep themselves occupied. He turned to Barry.

"So... we kinda have the day off, assuming no bad guys show up. Wanna get out of the lab for awhile with me?"

Barry smiled. "Like a date?"

"No. Like two guys being guys."

"Two guys being guys... on a date?"

Cisco frowned. "You're being difficult."

Barry put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, have it your way. So what are we going to do on this not-date?"

"I don't know, I hadn't thought that far."

"Let's... go get some coffee?" Barry suggested.

"Sure." Cisco smiled slightly. Barry grabbed his hand as they walked out the door, intertwining their fingers.

Cisco wanted to just let it happen, but his thoughts nagged at him, reminding him that Barry wasn't really in love with him. And Cisco definitely didn't feel anything for Barry beyond friendship. He definitely did not think Barry had a nice smile, or that his hand fit perfectly in Barry's, or that that kiss earlier had been one of the best he'd ever had. Nope.

Cisco pulled his hand out of Barry's and stuck it in his front pocket. Barry saw this as an invitation rather than a rejection, and snaked his arm around Cisco's waist, sliding his hand into the back pocket furthest from himself.

Cisco sighed and gave up. Thankfully, it was a short walk to the coffee shop.

Once they got there, Barry let go of Cisco and opened the door for him. Cisco walked inside with Barry following closely behind, and nearly ran straight into Iris.

"Oh!" She stopped abruptly. "Hey guys! That's so crazy, I was literally on my way to the lab. No Caitlin?"

"Uh, no." Cisco said, still surprised. "She's working on stuff." Iris moved aside to let them in.

Barry grinned. "Iris, I have great news!"

"Oh? Well, lay it on me, Bear." She smiled. Barry grabbed Cisco's hand, his expression turning dreamy.

Uh-oh, Cisco thought. If Barry said what Cisco thought he was about to say, then they were in trouble.

"I'm in love with-"

"OKAY," Cisco cut him off and pulled his hand away, "That's enough sugar for you! Why don't you go get us some coffee while me and Iris wait outside, okay?"

"But-"

"No but's! Coffee. Go. NOW." Cisco pushed him towards the line. Iris stared in confusion.

Barry shrugged and gave him a peck on the cheek before wandering over to the line. Cisco laughed nervously as Iris looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"What am I missing here?" Iris pointed from Barry to him.

"I can explain." Cisco said meekly. He gestured for her to follow him outside. She complied.

"So," Iris stopped in front of the window, "what exactly is going on with you two?"

"Uh..." Cisco raked his hair out of his face and looked at the ground. "Yesterday, Barry had a run in with Prism-"

"The emotions guy?" Iris asked. Cisco nodded.

"-And he got whammied. Again. But this time he used love, and I went to go get him because he got shot-"

"Barry got _shot?!_ And you didn't tell me?! Cisco!" She slapped his arm.

"Okay, I'm sorry! We still need to work on communication, I know. He's fine now, anyway. But, now Barry thinks he's in love with me."

"Can't you just zap him with that light thing again?" Iris asked. Cisco shook his head.

"We already tried, it didn't work. But Caitlin thinks he'll be back to normal in a couple days."

Barry walked out carrying two cups. He handed one to Cisco.

"So, Barry," Iris said after a brief pause. She winked at Cisco. "Cisco was just telling me how much he loves it when you give him P.D.A. He thinks it's really sweet, and wants you to do it more often."

"What are you talking about, Iris?" Cisco said through grit teeth and a false smile.

Iris leaned over, smile innocent as an angel's, and whispered, "Maybe now you'll remember to call me when Barry get's shot, hmm?" Cisco glared at Iris.

"Really?" Barry asked Cisco. "Did you really say that?"

" _No_. No I-"

"Oh, Cisco! There's no reason to be embarrassed!" Iris said. She turned to Barry. "He was just a little bit too shy to say it to you."

Barry smiled and traced his fingertips along Cisco's jaw. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Cisco was suddenly very aware of how close they were standing to each other. Barry stepped even closer, and brought their lips together.

Barry had one hand behind Cisco's neck, the other resting against Cisco's hips, busy holding his cup of coffee. Cisco closed his eyes as Barry pressed him backwards, only stopping when he felt the window on his back.

They broke into a series of smaller kisses, taking in gasps of air between each. Cisco could taste coffee with a hint of vanilla.

Barry ran the tip of his tongue along Cisco's lower lip, sending shivers down Cisco's spine. He caught Barry's distinct smell of burnt ozone as he inhaled, barely masked with cologne.

Cisco's brain reminded him that they were not alone. Iris was still there, and, he realized, they were making out against a window. A window to a coffee shop full of people. Cisco turned his head so that he could see in the window, breaking lip contact with Barry, who switched to sucking on his neck.

People were staring. A lot of people. Most turned away when they saw him looking back, but some did not, especially the two young women sitting at the table nearest the window, who were both wide-eyed and fidgeting uncomfortably with the awkwardness.

Cisco pushed Barry off more forcefully than he intended. He grabbed Barry's hand and pulled him past Iris, who was outright laughing while she jogged to keep up with them.

Barry tried stopping him multiple times, asking what was wrong, but Cisco was dead set on getting away from the coffee shop. He only stopped walking once they were inside S.T.A.R. Labs.

Barry forced Cisco to a halt in the hallway. Iris walked past them into the cortex, presumably to talk to Caitlin about work, life, and the latest happenings.

"For the hundredth time," Barry said, "what's wrong?"

"Didn't you notice there were, like, fifty people staring at us?" Cisco asked. He downed his coffee, wishing it were something stronger.

"Yeah, so?"

"So? So, that's embarrassing! So, I'm never going to be able to show my face there again!" Cisco put his face in his hands and groaned. "I liked that place, too. They had good scones."

"Dude, you're overreacting." Barry rubbed circles on Cisco's back, attempting to calm him. "No one even saw your face. Besides, you said you liked P.D.A., right?"

" _I_ never said anything! But even if I had, that P.D.A. had way too much 'P' involved in the 'D-A'."

"Well, I'm sorry for not listening to you. Next time, I'll make sure we're in a more private place."

"There won't be a 'next time,' Barry." Cisco said, voice low. He brushed Barry's hand off his back.

Barry began to ask for clarification, but Caitlin popped out of the door frame.

"Car chase on twelfth avenue, Barry, you're needed." She said.

"Can't the cops handle it?" Barry asked, annoyed at the interruption.

"Well, maybe, but would you really let a little girl get kidnapped?"

Barry sighed. "No. I'll be there in a second."

"Hurry." Caitlin gave him a warning look before disappearing into the cortex again.

He kissed Cisco, hard and fast.

"For luck!" He called over his shoulder, running into the cortex to change. Half a second later, a blur of lightning and wind whooshed past Cisco.

Cisco leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees.

It was all fake. Every time Barry showed affection, every time he said he loved Cisco, it was fake. And Cisco knew it was. But that didn't change how he could still feel Barry's lips linger on his, how he could feel himself wanting to hear Barry say he loved him again and again. But he knew it would never be real.

Iris came into the hallway and sat next to him.

"Hey." She said. "Are you doing okay?"

"No." Cisco replied. She put an arm around his shoulder and squeezed.

"It's Barry, huh?" He nodded. "That love bug is really messing with **both** of you. I don't think he's usually like this when he's in love. Maybe a little bit with the touchy-feely stuff. But, for the most part, he's a lot less dumb."

Cisco smiled some. "You're probably right."

"Of course I am." She said, half-joking. "But this'll be over soon, right? Just a little bit longer of having him hang all over you."

"Yeah. Its just hard dealing with the affection and stuff when, y'know..." Cisco wasn't entirely sure what he himself was referring to; not returning those feelings, or the opposite.

Caitlin called for Iris to come back from inside the lab. Iris stood up and smoothed her skirt down. She looked down at Cisco one last time.

"Just remember, nothing he feels for you right now is real, so try not to feel bad about having to make him back off. It's always hard when you don't love someone back, but you'll get through it." She gave him a sympathetic smile and left.

He sank his forehead against his knees and sighed.

"It's even harder when you do."


	3. But it might just save your life

Cisco spent the rest of the evening avoiding Barry, which was harder than he thought it would be since Barry was determined to spend every waking moment with him. Cisco finally decided to go home.

The next morning, Barry forced Cisco to talk to him. Barry pulled him by his wrist into a small storage room just a few feet down the hall from the cortex. Only when they were secured in the room did Barry release him.

Cisco stepped backwards as far away as he could in the small- well, "room" was putting it a bit generously, it was more like a large closet. Cisco was just over an arm's length away from Barry.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Barry demanded.

"I wasn't. I was just... working." Cisco lied. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be at work? Like, don't you have fingerprints to analyze or something?"

Barry folded his arms and shrugged. "Yeah... well, maybe I took the day off because I wasn't feeling so hot."

Cisco raised an eyebrow and looked Barry up and down. "You look pretty hot to me." Barry smiled. "Wait, no, that came out wrong. I meant you look _healthy_ -hot, not sexy-hot."

"I just happen to be feeling better now. Anyways," Barry took a step towards him, smile replaced with a more serious expression. "Why were you avoiding me?"

"I told you, I was work-"

"Don't give me that crap, Cisco. That's not the reason and you know it." Barry looked him in the eye. "Please, just tell me the truth."

"I..." Cisco didn't know what to say. What could he say? That he'd been avoiding Barry because he was afraid of confronting his own feelings while knowing they couldn't ever truly be reciprocated? No, he thought, that wasn't something he was ready to admit to himself, much less to Barry.

"You know how you keep saying you love me?" Cisco asked. "Well, it's just- that's not you. It's just Prism influencing you, and whenever you kiss me or hug me I just can't stop thinking about how, tomorrow, when you're back to normal, it's gonna be weird between us. And I don't want _this_ ," he gestured from Barry to himself, "ruining our friendship."

It was part of the truth. He _was_ avoiding any contact with Barry because he knew it would be weird and awkward when Barry came to his senses. It just wasn't all of the truth.

"Cisco," Barry sighed. He stepped closer and put his hand on Cisco's arm. "Everything I do right now, it's by my own choice. We'll always be friends no matter what, don't worry about it."

Barry smiled at him. "Besides," he continued. "It's like I said before, I'm still going to love you tomorrow, because these are my real feelings. So, no weirdness later if I kiss you now. I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Cisco said, grinning.

"So," Barry brushed some loose hair from Cisco's face. "May I kiss you now?"

Cisco reacted before he had a chance to think his actions through. He grabbed Barry's shoulders and brought their lips together, standing on tip-toes to reach. Cisco felt Barry smile against his lips as he wrapped his hands around Cisco's waist.

Cisco's brain finally kicked in as he realized what he was doing. He was supposed to be NOT kissing Barry. What would Barry think tomorrow when he remembered this? He ended the kiss abruptly.

"Uh... sorry." Cisco let go.

Barry leaned down. "Don't be." He whispered. Within seconds, their mouths were back together.

Barry pressed harder this time as they moved against each other. Cisco's hands slid down Barry's chest, feeling the toned muscle beneath his shirt. Barry pulled away for split seconds at a time, teasing Cisco as he nibbled and sucked at the other's lips.

Cisco moaned out Barry's name. He felt hands sliding down to his hips, pulling their bodies closer. Barry played with the hem of Cisco's shirt, ghosting his fingers over his stomach.

"Cisco, do you...mm," Barry said between kisses and gasps of air. "Do you love me, too?"

"What?" Cisco pulled away, panting.

"You know I love you, but do you love me?"

Cisco looked away. "I'm... not ready to answer that, yet. I'm sorry."

"What about tomorrow?" Cisco looked at him, confused. "Will you be ready to tell me then?"

"I don't know."

"Okay," Barry nodded, "how about the day after?"

Cisco rolled his eyes and smiled. Barry's eagerness was endearing. What the hell, he thought, it wouldn't hurt to humor him.

"If you're still interested in knowing, sure, I'll tell you."

Barry grinned. "Alright. Sounds like a plan."

Cisco's phone vibrated in his pocket; he pulled it out to check it. Caitlin had texted him. It read:

 _"Where are you two? PRISM is back! Need you & Barry here ASAP."_

Oops, Cisco thought.

"Prism's back, go change." Cisco informed Barry, nudging him towards the exit. Barry sped out the door, leaving Cisco to follow.

Cisco jogged into the cortex, smoothing down his rumpled clothes. He joined Caitlin and Iris at the monitor.

"What were you guys doing?" Caitlin asked. Iris poked her side to get her attention.

"You know what," Iris waggled her eyebrows at Caitlin, making the universal "blowjob" gesture. Cisco glared at them. They collapsed into giggles as Barry walked up behind Cisco, glancing at the monitor's screen.

"Where am I going?" Barry asked, suited up. Cisco tore his gaze away from the girls and checked the address.

"Seventh and Vine." He answered.

"The police have him surrounded, but he has hostages." Iris said, calming from her fit of laughter. "Get them out first, Bear, and try not to get whammied again, I don't think Cisco could take another three days."

Barry rolled his eyes at her. He leaned down and kissed Cisco, a bit longer than the usual goodbye kiss. Cisco found himself cupping Barry's cheek, letting his fingers slide down Barry's jawline as they pulled away. Barry winked at him then sped away, leaving behind the crackle of lightning and a burst of wind.

Iris looked at Caitlin as if to say, _"See?"_ They started laughing again.

Ignoring them, Cisco kept his eyes on the screen. Barry had arrived at the scene, running past the police blockade.

"Nice to see you again, Flash," Prism said, sneering.

"Let them go!" Barry shouted, staying a safe distance away. There were about twenty people sitting on the floor around Prism, however, most seemed zoned out, like they were stuck in a dream.

"They're all free to leave whenever they like," he made a sweeping motion, displaying the hostages like one would show off an exhibit of animals. "They just... can't bear to be without me."

"What do you...?" Barry realized what he meant.

Prism made eye contact with the hostages, flashing their eyes with purple light from his own. "You'll do anything for me, right?" They nodded. "Kill the Flash."

The mob stood up and ran at Barry, throwing anything they could find, punching, clawing, kicking. Barry easily dodged most of their blows. He ran to the opposite side of the building's lobby, stopping just a few feet away from Prism.

Prism dove behind a desk and called for the crowd to come protect him. Barry tried holding them off, but without truly being able to hurt or stun anybody, he was soon overwhelmed.

The people restrained Barry as Prism came out from hiding, smirking. Barry struggled to get free.

"I could really use some help right now!" Barry whispered into his comms.

"Too bad you won't get any." Prism laughed. "Now, let's try amplifying what I started last time."

Barry tried shutting his eyes, but one of the hostages forced him to keep them open. Prism's eyes flashed purple, then blue.

Barry stopped struggling. One by one, the crowd let him go.

"Barry?" Cisco asked, his concern growing by the second. He stared at Barry's still form on the grainy surveillance camera's feed. "What's going on?"

"You... you never said it back." Barry dropped to the ground. Prism smiled to himself and walked past Barry, to the half-emptied cash registers.

"Said what? Dude, why aren't you stopping him?"

"You never said you loved me. Never... never..." Barry muttered to himself, repeating the word.

"Oh my- this is _not_ happening right now! Somebody tell me this isn't happening right now." Cisco put his hands on his head.

"Cisco!" Caitlin hissed, gesturing to the screen showing Barry. "Do something!"

"Um, I..." Cisco looked around, mentally panicking. "I... love you, Barry?"

"What the hell was that?!" Iris whispered as she looked at him incredulously. "Say it like you mean it!"

Cisco pushed all his fear and embarrassment to the back of his mind. "Barry, I love you."

"No you don't." Barry curled in on himself, hugging his knees. "You're just lying."

"No, I'm not. I love you, Barry Allen. I love the way that you always do what's right, I love your smile, I love how much you care about everyone, I love your intelligence, I love your heart, your soul, your face. You are the Wesley to my Buttercup, the Leia to my Han, the-"

"Wait, why do you get to be Han?" Barry asked, slowly getting up.

"One, I'm the one with the cool toys and a hairy sidekick," Cisco patted Caitlin on the head, ignoring the murderous look she gave him as she slapped his hand away. "Two, Leia's awesome. Did you even watch Return of the Jedi? She totally kicks ass. Why _wouldn't_ you want to be Leia?"

"Point taken."

"Exactly, now, go be like Leia and kick Prism's ass." Cisco looked at the camera footage of Barry on the monitor's screen, smiling without realizing it. "I love you."

Barry grinned and nodded at the camera. "I know."

He took off, rounding up the hostages and tying them to the various office equipment and furniture in the lobby. He had some difficulty with the last few, as they were more prepared than the others, but eventually Barry got them out of the way as well.

Prism gawked at him. "How did you-? Nevermind!" He pulled out the same gun from their last encounter.

Barry took it and had it in a disassembled heap at his feet before Prism could even aim. Barry punched his face, knocking him back a few feet. He picked up someone's discarded sweater from the floor and tied it around Prism's eyes like a blindfold.

Hauling him up like a sack of potatoes, Barry ran outside with him, leaving the villain-turned-victim handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser.

The police team ran inside to free the hostages. A few waved at the Flash and called out their thanks as he disappeared in a blur of lightning.


	4. That's the power of love

Barry skidded to a halt in the lab. Cisco got out of his chair and high-fived Barry.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Cisco grinned. He surprised himself by pulling Barry into a hug. Barry awkwardly patted him on the back.

Cisco let go. "Wow," he laughed. "That almost felt like you were back to... normal." His smile faded with the realization.

Barry looked away and shrugged. "I might be? Um. Sorry."

"No, that's good. Great, I mean." He plastered on a fake smile and stepped away from Barry. He went back to his empty chair at the monitor and sat down.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked.

"Uh, yeah." Cisco leaned back, dazed. "I think I just might have mental whiplash."

Caitlin stood up. "Well, we should, uh, run some tests, Barry. Make sure your system's really all clear from Prism's control."

Barry nodded, keeping his eyes downcast. "Yeah. Okay."

Caitlin leaned down next to Cisco. "And if you ever say I look like Chewbacca again, I will kill you."

Cisco covered his cheeks, still burning from the hug. "Please do."

Iris stifled her laughter as Caitlin left, towing Barry after her.

The next day was quiet. Caitlin's tests showed that Barry was whammy-free, and she hypothesized that because Prism had stimulated Barry's emotions again at a higher amplitude, it had essentially burned him out. This made him only able to control so many people plus Barry for a short burst of time, and Barry's ultra-fast metabolism had burned the rest of the love dosage off before the fight was over.

Barry and Cisco kept their distance. They didn't speak much to each other, even though Cisco desperately wanted to. He'd steal glances at Barry while he tinkered with new inventions and suit repairs, and sometimes, he'd catch Barry looking back.

The second day after Barry's return to normalcy, Barry asked Cisco if they could talk. They walked to the basement, stopping just outside of the vault.

"I need to apologize." Barry sighed. "For everything."

Cisco waited silently for him to continue. He pulled a lollipop out of his pocket and unwrapped it.

"I'm sorry for how I acted when I was... y'know. I kissed you without your permission, and I embarrassed you, and I was just really, really dumb. I'm sorry for putting you through that."

Cisco shrugged and took the lollipop out of his mouth. "It's cool. You weren't completely in control. I probably could've tried harder to stop you."

"So, you aren't upset?"

"Nope. Well, actually, I am a little bit angry about the coffee shop thing, but you have to live with it too, now, so I think we're even."

Barry laughed as he remembered the incident. "Yeah, that was terrible. The people, not the making out part. Well, I mean, I'm not saying I _liked_ making out- That is, I mean, I didn't _not_ like it, it was really hot actually- I mean-" He clamped his lips shut and rubbed the back of his neck. "Please stop me."

"No, no," Cisco smiled in amusement and twirled his lollipop in his mouth. "Keep going. You thought it was hot?"

"No! I mean, yes, but-" He frowned. "Look, can I ask you about something?"

"Alright, shoot."

"When you said you loved me, did you mean it?" He looked into Cisco's eyes.

Cisco stopped smiling. Thinking about it now, he realized he had meant it. Well, maybe he'd made it a bit more flowery at the time, but he _had_ been speaking the truth.

"Maybe. Why?" Cisco bit down on his candy.

"Um, well," Barry fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "The thing about Prism's powers, they can really only affect pre-existing emotions. You wouldn't really know unless you experienced it, but he just lowers your inhibitions with whatever he wants to make you feel. It's kinda like being drunk, except your brain is only loopy with that one emotion."

"So, he takes a dial that goes to ten, and turns it up to eleven?"

Barry looked confused. "Kinda?"

Cisco rolled his eyes. "Spinal Tap reference. Haven't you seen anything?"

"Dude, come on, I'm being serious."

"Alright, sorry." Cisco leaned against the wall. "So, what's your point?"

"My point is that, the reason it made me fall in love with you, was because I... I was _already_ in love with you." Barry chewed on his lip anxiously.

Cisco smiled and shook his head. "We did this all backwards, huh? We're supposed to admit we like each other before we start kissing and going on dates."

"Yeah," Barry chuckled, joining Cisco against the wall. "I guess you're right."

Cisco grabbed Barry's hand and laced their fingers together. He leaned his head against Barry's shoulder, a faint smile on his lips.

Barry rested his head on top of Cisco's. "I love you," He murmured.

"I know."


End file.
